Brandon Marianne Lee: ‘Melvin Gordon Will Be Best Fantasy Rookie’

CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 30: Melvin Gordon of the Wisconsin Badgers holds up a jersey after being picked #15 overall by the San Diego Chargers during the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 30, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

With all the non-football headlines that have dominated the NFL offseason, it might be easy to forget that actual games are just around the corner – and if actual games are just around the corner, so too is fantasy football.

So, which rookie will be the best player in fantasy this season?

“Amari Coper is the most talented,” fantasy football expert Brandon Marianne Lee said on CBS Sports Radio’s The DA Show. “He can run every route in the route tree. The guys’s a freak of nature. But he plays in Oakland, so I’m concerned.”

Damon Amendolara, however, believes Cooper will shine as a rookie because he’ll be playing with Derek Carr, whom DA called “great.”

“He’s good. I don’t know if I’d go with great,” Lee said. “He’s on the verge of great, but yeah, he had a nice rookie season. But I still think that the Raiders have a lot of pieces that are still a little haphazard.”

So if Cooper won’t be the top fantasy rookie, who will be?

“I think Melvin Gordon is probably going to get the most fantasy points (among rookies),” Lee said. “Being the head running back in San Diego is a pretty nice place to be, and I don’t see any competition.”

While you’ll be able to wait a bit on Gordon, the same cannot be said for running back bluebloods like Adrian Peterson, Le’Veon Bell and Jamaal Charles.

“Definitely Adrian Peterson and Le’Veon Bell have been kind of splitting the vote (for the No. 1 overall pick),” Lee said. “Not Jamaal Charles, which is great if you’re the third or fourth pick, especially if you’re in a standard league.”

Don’t get one of those three running backs? No worries. There are still plenty of solid ones left.

“I love Eddie Lacy,” Lee said. “I love everything about the Green Bay Packers. In fact, if all things are equal and it’s between a player and a Green Bay Packer player, I will pick the Packer. They have 11 returning starters on offense. That’s unheard of. It’s beautiful. And anyone playing with Aaron Rodgers is someone I want to get.”

Rodgers, however, is not the consensus No. 1 quarterback. Instead, that honor belongs to Andrew Luck, who last year threw for career-highs in yards (4,761) and touchdowns (40).

“I have Aaron Rodgers ranked No.1, but I’m in the minority,” Lee said. “People are really high on the Andrew Luck train – and I am, too. I think they are the top two. But Aaron Rodgers to me just has so much consistency. And once again, that offense all coming back is so huge.”

Lee also expects DeMarco Murray and LeSean McCoy to have excellent seasons with their new franchises. Murray signed with the Eagles in the offseason, while McCoy was traded to the Bills.

Given Buffalo’s uncertainty at quarterback, Lee expects McCoy to get “8 million carries.”